Personality Development

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UNIT 2 HEALTH AND PERSONALITY

Module 4 – Physiological Bases of Personality

"The eyes sees a great many things, but the average brain records very few of them.”
- Thomas Alva Edison –

A certain aspect does not determine an individual's personality but by various determinants such as
one's physiological well-being. This basically makes up our innate hereditary influence. Consequently, such
aspect plays a major role that contributes to the predetermined characteristics of a person.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

 Describe “body beautiful”;

 Describe how to “keep fit”;
 Discuss the ways in improving your skin; and
 Explain the importance of exercise for a perfect posture.

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Discussion Proper

THE BODY BEAUTIFUL

The radiance that results from lovely thoughts, the zest of youth and health, good grooming, and
the restrained use of makeup on well-cared for skin will be all but lost if they are accompanied by a sloppy
figure accentuated by poor posture.

The necessary basis of a beautiful woman is a body so fit and healthy that clothing seems to drape
effortlessly upon it; a body so perfectly aligned that movements are as light and graceful as music or a bird
in flight. One of the most important challenges facing a young woman is the development of
correct posture, fluidity of motion, and a figure as lovely and as well-proportioned as possible. The training
given to models, young women attending finishing schools, dancers, and athletes leads to good habits, and
should endure through-out life with enormous benefits to beauty and health.

YOUR FIGURE
As quick assessment, remember that a figure is in its best proportion when the largest part of the
bust and the largest part of the hips measure the same. That is to say, should your bust measure 34 inches,
ideally your hips, too, would measure 34. Following this rule, your waistline should be ten inches
smaller than hips and bust - 24 inches. A two-inch variance one way or the other still results in a nice figure!
However, if you vary more than two inches, you will want to work toward some long-range changes. An
exercise program, restructured diet, and correct posture can help you to come nearer the ideal - or as close
as is possible for your particular body.

DIET AND EXERCISE

Beyond perfect posture and the use of illusion are figure flaws, and they must be addressed from
within. For the young man/woman who is "pudgy," the problem usually lies with poor eating habits
and/or inactivity. A proper diet and adequate exercise can normalize weight quite rapidly while you are
young and will establish healthful patterns for the remainder of your life.

As a young person enters his/her twenties, usually during her college years, some changes will take
place. Health and vigor will have reached their peak, preparing for the stresses of completing
his/her education, beginning a career or family, and establishing independent living. With growth complete
and physical activity reduced he/she may need to reduce caloric intake slightly and pay more attention to
his/her diet.

By “diet," no physicians or beauty counselors recommend stringent, near-starvation programs.

Drastic regimes for weight reduction are dangerous and their results usually temporary. To live fully in the
active, exciting years ahead, a balanced diet is essential to supply your body with energy and resistance.

You should eat three meals a day, including proteins, carbohydrates, and ample quantities of raw
or cooked fruits and vegetables. Snacking, especially on rich, fatty, salty, or sweet items, should be kept to
a minimum, and lavish desserts must be very rare treats.
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A small percentage of young men/women in their teens or twenties are too thin to fulfill their beauty
potential, or even to fill out their clothes attractively. They usually need to eat only a little more - three,
four, or five small meals a day made up of nutritionally balanced foods - and perhaps eat those meals more
slowly and in a more relaxed atmosphere. An extra glass of milk or orange juice at bedtime can help.
Tenseness, especially at mealtime, skipping meals altogether, and an obsession with thinness can
contribute to eating disorders, which become psychologically serious and physically dangerous.

THE BEAUTY OF EXERCISE

Well-toned muscles are not only necessary for a beautiful body, but for sup- porting the skeletal
bones in a correct posture. To achieve those goals, both strengthening and stretching exercises are
necessary. The exercise for posture, body alignment, and figure control, it is also necessary to practice
some tummy-tightening and spine-straightening exercises as part of your daily routine. You must also
include special exercises to develop the upper and lower back muscles in order to maintain neck tone and
align the head and neck with the spine. Of course, active sports like swimming, biking, dancing, tennis and
skating, along with various team sports, and horseback riding, are also wonderful for figure and
posture improvement and grace. Undoubtedly, one of the most perfect exercises of all is walking, be it a
long-stride, fast- paced walk or a stroll in the country.

But there is more to exercise than trimming flabby areas or toning under- developed muscles.
Perhaps the word exercise itself has become misleading in our modern, fast-moving society. In an expanded
concept, "exercise” means the time in one's day to lavish on one's self, to reestablish one's sense of
harmony and grace. There is no room here for punishment because we ate dessert last night or because
our clothes are beginning to tighten around specific body parts. Self-punishment or penance or lapses are
dangerous strategies to employ in our "exercise” time.

THE EXERCISE
We live in a world where speed and convenience are paramount. Although we are active in many
ways, we tend to be physically inactive because we are tempted to ride rather than walk. With few
exercises can make ourselves physically fit. Exercises are done slowly and rhythmically,
stretching gracefully as far as possible. If you do them to music, so much the better. One way to keep an
exercise program alive and breathing is to keep it brief no more than ten minutes at a time, preferably five.
Don't strain your muscles on your attention span. Do it and get it over with.

THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

A regular exercise makes an individual maintain his physical fitness. It makes him feel good and feel
better about himself. As a consequence, a higher self-esteem is developed. Sustaining one's fitness lowers
depression and allows management of stress. Through exercise appetite is leveled-off and blood pressure
stays low. Furthermore, mood is improved as exercise becomes a healthy outlet for tension, anger
of frustration as it energizes him. It may aid in channeling one's energy onto something healthy and
productive. Exercise is actually high on the list of self-help techniques endorsed by recent research on brain
function. There is little doubt that exercise has a psychologically calming effect and benefits the heart,
lungs, and muscles as well. "Runners high" apparently occurs because strenuous activity stimulates the

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brain to increase its output of endorphins, opiate-like chemicals that produce a natural “high" (Reader's
Digest 2005).

According to Merki (1999) some benefits of exercise and fitness include the following:
Physically, it increases energy.
Mentally and emotionally, it increases self-esteem.
Mentally, it sharpens alertness.
Physically, it lowers blood pressure.
Socially, it provides opportunities to meet new people.
Mentally and emotionally, it reduces stress.
Physically, improves muscle tone.
Socially, it provides opportunities to share common goal.

VISUAL POISE
Proper carriage is a result of practice. Each day, as you practice becoming more poised, take a few
minutes to let your mind become the video camera. It is important to close your eyes and imagine your
body in its newly defined posture and movement patterns. View your weak and strong points and
identify them to yourself. Envision the way you want to stand, move, and sit. Let these mew pictures
register in your mind's eye. Picture yourself with the utmost physical self-confidence. Now, open your
eyes and make the picture come to life. Each day you will become a little more at ease with the new picture
of yourself. As you think of becoming poised, you will begin to be poised. By practicing the how-to in the
preceding pages, by picturing and by saying, "I possess poise," you will find that you do.

GRACE
Grace is a quality every woman wants. It combines confidence with unself-consciousness. It is a
quality that appears more often as a girl matures into young womanhood. It can and should be learned,
however, during your developing years.

The first lesson toward attaining grace begins with movement. The factors towards an aligned body
also contribute to your grace: Proper exercise, improved posture, and correct body weight are the keys to
grace and allow you to move more comfortably with greater ease.

Sports and dance are wonderful teachers of grace. They impart a sure sense of balance, enhance
flexibility, and increase muscle strength and coordination. They cause you to move with a
purpose, developing movement patterns that are stored in your memory. Having instant recall or "replay"
of these patterns enhances your self-confidence: You automatically do it right.

Grace encompasses a sense of calmness as well as a mental and physical presence. These two
factors lead to larger, freer movements, which add to grace, whereas a tense attitude causes energy to
decline and movements to become very restricted, tight, and limited - with all grace lost. Grace is beauty.
Think of the grace and beauty in the ease with which peasants carry jars of water or baskets of fruit on
their heads. Their movement is fluid and their balance so perfect that nothing falls off their head, spills from
the jar, or falls from the basket. Graceful movement is free of tension, self-absorption, and pretension.

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Grace is also a state of mind - assuredness and balance of knowing you have it all together, whether
mentally in what you are about to say, or physically in your movements or materially in your dress. For
example, once you have prepared yourself to be in public, you are confident, you need not pull at your
clothes, play with your jewelry, or touch your makeup or hair. As you develop grace you no longer fidget
or fuss, you no longer move without direction or speak without thinking.

FITNESS
The most effective ways to sculp, strengthen and tone.

1. Hire a Trainer –It’s worth it even if only for a few sessions. A trainer can assess your goals and
customize your workouts.

2. Combine cardio and weights - Weight-training builds muscle and elevates the metabolic rate, so
you will burn more "kilojoules”; while your body is at rest. Dumbbells are great for sculpting; work
large muscle groups to help you slim down faster.

3. Exercise in the morning - Otherwise, you leave room for excuses, fatigue and
scheduling conflicts.
4. Do it with a friend - Having friends join your exercise program will help maintain motivation on
cold mornings, and also spreads the cost of a personal trainer.
5. Push yourself - Once you can do 12 to 15 reps easily, pick up heavier weights.
6. Follow Through - Meet with your trainer every three months to make sure you are reaching your
goals.
7. Mix it up - Once you have started cardio and strength training, add other activities. Yoga
and pilates can give you a sleek, elongated physique.

8. Be consistent - Regular daily exercise will keep your body in shape and reduce your stress levels.
Even on the morning of your wedding, going for a job will give you energy and help keep jitters at
bay.
9. Get sweaty - For naturally glowing skin you need to work your heart and get your blood pumping.
Try jogging or boxing classes.
10. Stand Tall - You can improve your posture by standing as if you were trying to hold a coin between
your shoulder blades.

POSTURE
Posture is the secret of the regal walk. A perfect posture can make you more attractive. Drooping
shoulders, stomach out, back hunched may lead to disfigurement. Bad posture like this gives an ugly
silhouette.

According to posture experts, the way most of us walk, stand, sit, and stoop is so incorrect that we
are piling up future aches and pains and, in some cases, serious illnesses.

Many of the common backaches of middle age are due to wrong posture, claims Eric de Peyer,
teacher of the Alexander Technique, a method of learning bodily poise.

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In making beds, washing dishes and pushing a vacuum cleaner, a housewife is constantly bending
her back, instead of using her hip joint and putting the bend in her knees.

Leading surgeon Norman Capener says this is the usual cause of what are commonly called slipped
discs. In spinal strain, the discs. are squeezed out, putting pressure in one of the spinal nerves, causing
pain. He also says lumbago is often due to lifting weights in this incorrect position. Every kitchen should
have pictures to remind housewives of the right way to bend Wall plugs should also be raised two feet from
the floor, to save back-strain.

GOOD FOOD HABITS

Good food promotes good health. Food must be taken in the right amount if it has to furnish the
energy the body needs for all its activities, to enable the body to resist infection, for the body to grow and
repair its tissues and to promote general well-being.

Filipinos, however, tend to eat more rice than any other food. His diet is, therefore, lacking in calories due
to either ignorance or indifference towards eating the right kind of food.

Studies by the Food and Nutrition Center indicate that the Filipino diet is mainly deficient in protein,
vitamin A and riboflavin. Although we eat enough rice, by far we do not eat enough of other foods. Some
92 percent of our children suffer from intestinal parasites and 74 percent of our preschoolers have anemia.
The large size of many Filipino families is one of the several contributing factors to the magnitude of the
malnutrition problem of our country. Surveys showed that the greater the number of mouths to feed, the
smaller is the nutrient intake of each household member. Moreover, adequacy of calorie intake is attained
only when there are, on the average, less than four members in the household, while adequacy of protein
intake may apparently be achieved in households with less than even members. However, in
calorie deficiencies, the protein in the diet will first be used to fulfill the energy deficit before it can be used
for growth and repair. Thus, the protein problem is actually much graver than we actually think from the
data presented and as evidenced from the prevalence of gross physical retardation known
as nutritional dwarfism.

A BALANCED DIET
A balanced diet is one that contains all the nutrients needed by the body in the right amount in a
single meal. These nutrients are found in the six groups, which are:

1. Green and leafy vegetables

2. Vitamin C-rich fruits
3. Other fruits and vegetables
4. Fatty and oily foods
5. Protein-rich foods
6. Rice and other cereals

The protective foods, which include green leafy yellow vegetables, vitamin C-rich foods, other fruits
and vegetables, make the eyes clear and bright, the skin rosy, the hair glossy, the gums, teeth and bones
strong and healthy. They keep illnesses away.

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The body-building foods such as milk, chicken, fish, eggs, and cheese make the muscles firm and
strong. They keep one active all day long. Energy-giving foods provide heat and energy everybody needed
for work and play. Water is essential for regulating body processes and body temperature. Note how
frequently liver and other internal organs (kidney, heart, etc.) muscle meats, eggs, and milk appear as the
best animal sources of these different nutrients. Among the plant sources, leafy and yellow vegetables,
whole grain cereals, legumes, and tomatoes are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals.

NUTRITION

1. Make a plan - If your goal is to lose weight before the big day, engage the services of an expert,
who adds some of her clients have ordered their wedding dress a size too small and come to her to
help them fit into it.

2. Give yourself time - If you're aiming to drop around five kilos, be realistic and don't start cutting
back on food and increasing exercise with only a month to go. Expect a three-to-five kilo loss in
three months.
3. Eat balanced meals - You need plenty of energy to organize everything and work through your
list of tasks, so make sure you eat balanced meals with low-GI carbs, balanced protein and not too
much fat.

4. Don't fall for "Fat-Free" - Just because a food is labeled fat-free doesn't mean its low in kilojoules.
In fact, you may be better off eating one or two regular biscuits than fat-free ones. Read food labels
to make sure of what you're eating

5. Don't forget healthy fats - Looking gorgeous is as much about your hair and skin as your
waistline, so include healthy fats (as found in fatty fish, avocados, nuts and seeds) in your diet, to
keep skin and hair shiny and nails strong

6. Snack Smartly - Don't go hungry on the big day. Eat breakfast and keep energy levels constant.
Letting your blood sugar drop can trigger sweating and nervousness, even with nausea Snack on
yoghurt, cheese and crackers, fruit and a few nuts, or a slice of fruit loaf and a cup of tea.

7. Clean up - Clean your kitchen cupboards of unhealthy snack foods like crisps, biscuits and
chocolate. Instead, stock up with dried fruit and nuts, wholegrain crackers, tomato salsa, low-fat
yogurt and long-life smoothies. You'll maintain energy levels by always having something healthy
on hand when you need a pick-me-up”

8. Drink plenty of water – Keeping your fluid levels high prevents you from mistaking thirst for
hunger, which can lead to non-hungry eating and wait gain. Drinking water throughout the day is
also great for your skin, helping to keep you looking healthy and fresh"

9. Cut down on takeaways - Get prepared for the last few weeks before your big event by cooking
and freezing meals for dinner now. As things get busier, you'll need back-up strategies to keep your
healthy eating habits on track. Steer clear of fatty fast foods, plan your dinner meals for the
week and shop with a list.

10. Beat the Bloat - The day before your big day, steer clear of high-salt foods that can make you
retain fluid. Go light on carbs, avoiding handfuls of lollies or big bowls of pasta.

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THE FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID

Diet, or what we regularly eat and drink provides us with the fuel that powers our body and brain.
Food is crucial to our body's survival. The Food Pyramid will guide us on how we should distribute our food
intake to ensure proper health and nutrition. A healthy body means a well-conditioned mind. This
therefore, allows us to perform our daily tasks efficiently and effectively.

Fats, Oil,
Sugar, Salt

Meat, Poultry, Fish,

Dry Beans, Eggs and
Nuts, Yogurt,
Cheese &
alternatives

Fruits and
Vegetables

Rice, Bread &

Alternatives

TAKING CARE OF YOUR PHYSIQUE

Skin

The skin plays a very important in one's appearance. It creates an impression on others that
implicates certain attitudes, practices, and habits of an individual. The skin, which is the outer covering of a
body, serves many functions such as: (1). shield against water (2). Defense against germs (3) control of
body temperature 4) serves as the cutaneous system that contains nerve endings that feeds the nervous
system with stimulus from the surroundings. This significant function makes it imperative for us to take real
care of our skin. Such practices may include the following:

Take a bath or shower every day.

Apply deodorant every day.
Avoid oily food.
Prevent the onset of acne.
Rest.
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Drink 8 glasses of water per day.
Avoid too much exposure to sunlight.
Use waterproof sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
Avoid sunlight at 10:00 am to 2:00p.m.
Take Vitamin C (against pollutants).
Take Vitamin E.
Never use much cosmetics.
Avoid applying harsh substances like astringents.
Use facial cream & lotion to maintain moisture.

Skin Workout

Here are some tips to make sure that your skin gets the most from a workout (Merki, 1999).

Do's
 Drink plenty of water while working out to prevent dehydration
 Use two towels to wipe sweat from the equipment you are using and
another for your skin. Sweat contains bacteria that can cause pimples.
 Take a cool-to-warm shower after working out to wash away sweat and
reduce skin redness.

Don’ts
 Never spray water on your face while working out-it will dehydrate your skin.
 Don't wear sweatbands or makeup. Sweatbands trap moisture next to your
skin. Either that or make-up will block your pores.
 Don't use harsh deodorant soaps when you shower.
 They leave the skin too dry, which may lead to acne.

Hair

The part, which we see on our scalp, is the hair shaft. The hair follicle and root are embedded in
the skin. The hair is basically made of dead cells. As new hair cells are formed, old ones are forced outward
through the surface of the skin and die. The shape of the hair shaft determines whether one's hair is wavy,
curly or straight. Taking care of our hair entails simple practices, which includes the following daily routine.

Brush or comb hair at least twice a day to maintain its body as well as its shine.
Brushing one's hair releases the natural oil that brings shine to every hair strand.
Wash hair everyday with gentle soap or shampoo.
Shampoo hair maximum of three times a week only to prevent dryness.
Have a hot oil at least once a week (do-it-yourself hot oil treatment).
Use your own comb or brush to prevent getting parasitic insects from others.
Color/perm/straighten hair with salon assistance and with extreme care.
Iron hair only during events and only if necessary.
Trim hair once a month to remove split ends and dry ends.

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Face Shape and Hairstyle

Proper hairstyle depends on one's facial shape. Face shapes include round, heart, diamond and oval.
A narrow face deserves a hairstyle that volume and width on the sides. Never part your hair in the middle.
A wide face needs that aside from adding more length and less height to the hairstyle. A small face needs a
style that fits closer to the head and should avoid a hairstyle that overwhelms it. A large face on the other
hand should never be given a cropped style that makes the face even bigger (Slater 1998).

Teeth

The mouth, specifically the teeth affect our appearance. It could either attract or turn off the other
person. It’s not only our speech that makes us unique but our unique set of teeth as well. They contribute
much to our appearance and appeal. And since we could not help but smile, here are some ways to
maintain such healthy and enticing smile.

Maintain a regular oral care.

Brush teeth after eating and before bedtime.
Use a mouthwash.
Use floss for hard-to-reach spots.
Prevent onset of cavity.
Maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid sugar-enhanced diet.
Have regular dental checkups.
Avoid use of tobacco.
See a doctor in case of Halitosis or bad breath that
may be caused by tooth decay, digestive illness, certain
foods or use of tobacco.

Feet

Our feet are basically one of the most neglected but very important part of our being. It is an
engineering marvel that supports our weight, serves as shock absorber and helps maintain our posture.
Certain problems make our feet uncomfortable. Such includes (1) Callus (2) bunion (3) Corn (4) blister (5)
Athlete's foot (6) Fallen arches. These problems can easily be cured through the maintenance of the
following practices.

Choose a shoe that is not too tight or loose.

Never wash feet if tired.
Have a foot spa regularly to relieve foot spasms.
Elevate feet at bedtime.
Massage feet with eucalyptus oil at night to avoid vein swelling.
Avoid using high heeled shoes that causes much stress to the feet.
Avoid use of toe rings that prevents proper blood flow.

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Body

As quoted from the Holy Scriptures... "What is the use of gaining the world if you lose your soul?"
Indeed, everything that we have worked for will be rendered futile if we bade this world goodbye
permanently. That is because we have a shorter lifespan. How can we probably enjoy these things that we
have worked for if our body could no longer afford to feel as we have gotten physically sick and disable?
Hence, it is imperative to take very good care of our own selves even at a younger age. One should be
conscious enough to maintain a healthy life span so as to ensure perfect fitness in the midst of all these
temptations and unhealthy lifestyle that pervades every society.

Fitness is the ability to perform one's usual work without becoming overly stressed both physically
and mentally. Considering the hectic schedules and tiring activities that we undergo every day, it is inevitable
not to lose much of our energy. Additional activities would mean inability to comply. Hence, to maintain
balance in our system and keep stored strength, daily exercise should be observed.

Self-Assessment Questionnaire

THOUGHT QUESTIONS…

Answer the following questions comprehensively.

1. Do you think one’s biological inheritance or genetic endowments affect his over-all personality? Why
and how?

2. Explain the role of the following concepts in maintaining a healthy physique

 Food
 Hygiene
 Exercise

3. Explain ow the following can affect the condition of your body and well-being:
 Fast Food Restaurants
 Beauty Salons
 Spas
 Gyms
 Skin/Cosmetics Clinics

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Summary

A certain aspect does not determine an individual's personality but by various determinants
such as one's physiological well-being. This basically makes up our innate hereditary influence.
Consequently, such aspect plays a major role that contributes to the predetermined characteristics of a
person.

The radiance that results from lovely thoughts, the zest of youth and health, good grooming, and
the restrained use of makeup on well-cared for skin will be all but lost if they are accompanied by a sloppy
figure accentuated by poor posture.

We live in a world where speed and convenience are paramount. Although we are active in
many ways, we tend to be physically inactive because we are tempted to ride rather than walk. With few
exercises can make ourselves physically fit.

A regular exercise makes an individual maintain his physical fitness. It makes him feel good
and feel better about himself. As a consequence, a higher self-esteem is developed. Sustaining one's
fitness lowers depression and allows management of stress. Through exercise appetite is leveled-off and
blood pressure stays low.

Good food promotes good health. Food must be taken in the right amount if it has to furnish the
energy the body needs for all its activities, to enable the body to resist infection, for the body to grow and
repair its tissues and to promote general well-being.

Fitness is the ability to perform one's usual work without becoming overly stressed both physically
and mentally. Considering the hectic schedules and tiring activities that we undergo every day, it is inevitable
not to lose much of our energy. Additional activities would mean inability to comply. Hence, to maintain
balance in our system and keep stored strength, daily exercise should be observed.

References

 Santos, Amparo E. Personality for Today’s Young Professional Third Edition

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